7. Bless the sick – If you know of any sick friends or family, then blessing them with holy water probably counts as a corporeal and a spiritual work of mercy. If you visit the sick in a hospital or nursing home, bless their living space with holy water and leave a holy water bottle with them as a comfort in their time of need.
8. Bless your pets – Many parishes on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi have a rite of blessing for pets. Pets are loved companions for individuals and families and often provide a great service to them, and even these can be blessed with holy water because all creation has the end of giving glory to God. This also applies to livestock and farm animals that provide labor, livelihood, and nourishment to humans.
Here is a simple prayer to say when using holy water:
“By this holy water and by Your Precious Blood, wash away all my sins, O Lord. Amen.”
There is no specific prayer to pray when using holy water, other than the Sign of the Cross, “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” You can also pray an Our Father or even the St. Michael the Archangel prayer when using holy water. Keep in mind that the holy water has already been blessed by the prayers of the priest.
How do you use holy water?
Holy water is one of those beautiful gifts (and weapons) from God to keep us sanctified and holy in our daily lives, and to keep the things we regularly use sanctified and holy. Hopefully, if we stop and think of what a generous gift holy water is for us, we will use it more frequently, thoughtfully, and gratefully! Some parents even use holy water to bless things their children regularly use, such as bicycles and school books.
If you have other creative and faithful ways you use holy water to sanctify your everyday life, please comment below.
Dear God bless my home, family, niece,nephews,nieces, great niece and nephew. Bless Ann who is very ill, give her a reason to live and know you..thank you amen!
can one drink holy water for healing?